Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 2 Kings 12 and Psalm 129

King Joash of Judah had been hidden in an inner room of the temple and protected by the priest Jehoida for the first 7 years of his life, while the evil queen Athalia had been in power. So it’s not surprising that the temple became a major focus of his work as king, nor that Jehoida became his mentor and trusted advisor for much of his rule.

When the Lord put it in his heart to repair the temple, Joash wisely allocated to this project three particular income streams that had not already been set aside by the Lord for other purposes. These “income streams” were the census money (Exodus 30:14-15), the money associated with personal vows (Leviticus 27:2), and voluntary offerings which worshippers brought.

So why did the work not happen until the 23rd year of Joash’s reign? Tellingly, and unsurprisingly, the problem was that men who spent their lives in the spiritual work of leading the worship and facilitating the sacrifices of God’s people were not particularly gifted in financial and property administration. This was neither their gifting nor their calling from God. And hence, as the money had slowly trickled in, they had not really known what work to prioritise, nor even where to begin with the physical repairs.

What eventually led to the work being done swiftly and effectively was when the various roles were allocated according to gifting. Priests helped worshippers to give. Adminstrators managed the finances. Supervisors oversaw the carftsmen. Craftsmen got the actual work done. Each focussed on his area of gifting, and the work got done in double-quick time.

The discipleship question for us today is this: Am I using my spiritual gift for the building up of the Body of Christ as expressed through my local church? If not, I can be assured that the work of the Lord will not be progressing as smoothly and effectively as it should be.

Heavenly Father, please inspire, embolden and empower me by the Holy Spirit to apply my mind, my energy and my gifting to the appropriate aspect of my local church’s life and ministry. Help me to overcome Satan’s temptations to be selfish, or unfocussed, or apathetic, or over-committed, or prideful in my involvement in Your Body. Use me in Your Body and for Your glory, Lord. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.